Man on trial over alleged rape of 81yo

A man has gone on trial nearly two decades after he allegedly raped an elderly woman, who has since died.

Peter Tasman Cannell, 41, is standing trial in the Adelaide District Court on one count of rape and burglary.

It is alleged he broke into the woman's Adelaide home in October 1993 and raped her.

Prosecutor Sandi McDonald said the 81-year-old victim suffered traumatic injuries during the assault.

She said the victim was an elderly and vulnerable woman.

"She had difficulty in seeing, difficulty in hearing and had problems with her mobility. She lived alone in a small cottage," she said.

"It's the prosecution case that during the evening leading up to or on the morning of Tuesday 12 October 1993, someone broke into the home and once in there assaulted and then raped her, leaving her with numerous injuries to her body and genital area."

The judge heard the woman was in hospital for six weeks after the attack.

She then moved to a retirement home and died in 1997, before her attacker was caught.

Extradition

Cannell was arrested in 2010 after DNA allegedly matched him to the crime, and he was extradited to Adelaide from Melbourne.

The court heard two issues at trial would be whether the victim was raped and whether the rapist was Cannell.

Ms McDonald told the court the case against the accused was compelling, as the prosecution had DNA evidence, testimony from witnesses that the victim was distressed after the attack, and medical evidence of the injuries she suffered.

"That in summary is the prosecution case in terms of establishing that this was in fact a rape as opposed to some sort of consensual dalliance," she said.

"There are the injuries, there's evidence of the break-in, there's evidence of distress, there's evidence of genital injuries, there's evidence of the semen.

"In my submissions it all points towards a compelling case."

She said the scientific probability that the DNA matches that of the accused is greater than one billion to one.